Emma Amaize
03 January 2012, Sweetcrude, WARRI – A Niger-Delta activist and security expert, Comrade Omolubi Newuwumi said, yesterday, that the ill-advised removal of fuel subsidy by President Goodluck Jonathan and his economic advisers have ignited a revolution, which nobody knows the end.
Newuwumi who spoke to this reporter in Warri faulted the argument for the oil subsidy removal by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Mallam Sanusi, saying the masses, who are in the majority were the worst hit.
“The only thing that is preventing revolution from taking place in the countryis that Nigerians are not educated and so government after government takes them for ride. That is why the federal government can arrogantly announced fuel subsidy removal and fuel increment with over 100 percent without thinking of the implications on poor Nigerians’ masses”, he said.
“You can imagine that the removal of the fuel subsidy is more than 100 per cent from N65 to N143, which is about 112 percent, where are we going to? If the government can do this to the people who stood by them in order to vote under sun and the rain; If the people are been treated this way by the same government they stood to vote for, so tell me why revolution is not imminent?
“I tell you this because the government is revolting against its people, when the people revolt it , it is going to be very bad for the stability of this country and just imagine what will happen if such befall Nigerian,” he added.
Comrade Newuwumi stated that most government policies had not benefited the poor masses, who are in the majority, while the few rich Nigerians who have always been the main beneficiaries of government policies smile to the bank with huge amount of money with the masses as sacrificial lambs.
According to him, “And who are these majorities in Nigeria, they are the poor masses, by this singular action of the Federal government, NNPC has increased fuel price and what you see now is that it will affect all parts of the country mostly the majorities, and those benefiting from all these are the few minorities and the illegal fuel dealers in country who uses theseillegal monies to dominate and influence the Nigeria government”.
He stated that if the federal government could stop illegal fuel import and export in the country and channel their energy towards the increase of local production of fuel in the country, Nigeria would not be talking of fuel subsidy removal
He called on the Federal government to channel its energy toward increased local production and stop the importation of fuel, while those who were found to be responsible for the oil subsidy scam should be prosecuted, instead of making the poor Nigerians suffering for the sins of the few rich.
On Sanusi’s claim that Nigerians could always change government if the fuel subsidy gamble fails, the activist reminded the CBN governor that the elections in Nigeria were not won by majority votes, but by the manipulation of the same cabal, who had held Nigeria and Nigerians hostage for decades, adding that Nigerians were tired of “try and error’ policies.
